I confess that too many of my intercessory prayers are shallow and brief. Do you have this problem? "God bless them and watch over them." Surely we can do better.

The Apostle Paul enjoyed a warm loving relationship with the church at Philippi. They often helped him on his missionary journeys. Paul's prayers for his friends in Philippi teach us how to pray for our loved ones. Here's what I'm learning about prayer from Philippians 1:9-11.

When prayinig for loved ones we should pray for the following:

1. PRAY FOR THEIR LOVE - (verse 9) agape sacrifical love like that described in John 3:16, growing and insightful

2. PRAY FOR THEIR PRIORITIES - (verse 10a) like an assayer evaluate the quality of things in life and pursue the excellent

3. PRAY FOR THEIR CHARACTER - (verse 10b) a life that is pure (sun judged) and blameless

4. PRAY FOR THEIR FRUITFULNESS - (verse 11) produced by Christ for God's glory

Isn't this a whole lot stronger than our normal interecessory prayers?